Heart Quiz

If you�re male and you're worried about
heart attacks, try this quiz.

1. Are you a non-smoker? If not, be warned! Cigarette
smoke contains over 850 nasty things many of which cause serious damage
to your heart. Result? A pack of cigarettes gives you twice the risk of
a heart attack and five times the risk of a stroke.

2. Do you take regular exercise? If not, be warned! A man who leads a sedentary lifestyle
has twice the risk of a heart attack.

4. Do you eat 3/4 daily helpings of
fruit & 3/4 helpings of veg?If not, you should! Why? Because
these foods offer significant protection against heart disease. If you
smoke, you should eat even more: I suggest 5 helpings of each. Sadly,
both Ireland and the UK eat comparatively little fruit and vegetables
and have a huge number of heart deaths.

5. Do you eat regular helpings of oily
fish, like mackerel, sardines, herring and salmon? If not, you should! Why? Because
oily fish contains a unique type of fat that according to experts actually
reduces the risk of heart disease.

6. Do you manage to avoid regular stress? If not, be warned!
Your chances of a heart attack can double in the 60 minutes following
a stressful event.

7. Do you watch your weight? If not, be warned! Being 28 pounds (2 stone) overweight doubles
your risk of heart disease. It also doubles the risk of strokes, and quadruples
the risk of diabetes. To give you a rough idea of when you�re at risk,
an 'average' six foot tall man is 28 pounds (2 stone) overweight at about
217 pounds (15� stone). A man of 5 feet 10 inches, at about 208 pounds
(14 stone 12 pounds).

8. Do you avoid heavy-drinking sessions? If not, you should! Why? Because
alcohol is a poison which robs your body of several important vitamins
and minerals which protect your heart. One glass of wine or a pint of
beer a day may be beneficial, but more is risky and indulging in heavy-drinking
sessions is asking for trouble.

9. Do you eat a balanced diet? If not, you should. Why? Because
there are about 45 nutrients which help to keep us healthy and they all
work together. A balanced diet has lots of fruit, vegetables, bread, potatoes,
cereal, fish, chicken and beans, plus a modest selection of low-fat dairy
products and a small amount of lean red meat. No more than 100g (4oz),
twice a week.

RESULTSIdeally, you answered Yes to all of these questions.
And if not to all, then to seven of them at least, especially if you are
over 30 years of age. If you didn�t, I strongly recommend a visit to your
local health clinic for a cholesterol test. It�s a simple, quick procedure
and the nurse will be able to give you all the necessary advice.

Finally, ask your wife to answer this
quiz, as well. Although her risk of heart disease is much lower before
the menopause, afterwards it�s a different story. In fact, heart disease
is the most common cause of death for woman over 50.